Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Before anyone can marry or enter a civil partnership in England or Wales, each person has to give their own legal notice of intention.  If both people are either British or an EU National then this notice is given to the Superintendent Registrar in the district where you live. 

Both of you must have lived in a district in England or Wales for at least seven days immediately before giving a Notice of Marriage or Civil Partnership.

• If one of you is from outside the UK 
  • You and your partner must give notice together at a register office in the district where at least one of you lives, unless you both have one of the following:
    • British or Irish citizenship
    • settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
    • an application to the EU Settlement Scheme that you made before 30 June 2021, which you’re waiting for a decision on.

This notice can be given up to six months before the date of your ceremony.

Once given, the notice will be displayed within the register office where it was given for 28 days. After that, as long as we have received and cleared all documents needed and there has been no legal objection, we will give permission for your ceremony to go ahead. 

In instances where one or both of the parties is a non-EEA national with limited or no immigration status the notice period may be extended to 70 days by the Home Office. You will not be able to get married until the 28 or 70 days have elapsed. Read the Home Office guidance.

You will be able to marry or enter a civil partnership in any register office or approved premises in England or Wales, no matter where you live, but if you plan to marry in a religious building that is not in your area, you must be able to show that this is your usual place of worship.

Same sex marriages may only take place in a religious building that has applied for and has been granted a licence to perform same sex marriages.